Ta-Da!

Abby has been in the "look at me" stage for quite some time now - so long that I'm beginning to wonder if it is a stage after all. Even the simplest of tasks will trigger a, "Watch me, Mom!" Usually, I will "ooh" and "ahh", as is expected of me, and we move on. Tonight, Abby decided that she wanted to do some coloring. This time she wanted to make sure that I paid attention, so she climbed up on my lap and colored away. She told me to watch her and I did, suitably impressed by how well she was doing. At one point she said, "Look Mom, see how I'm inside the lines," and she was - inside the lines I mean. I was being completely honest when I told her how proud I was of her and how well she was doing.

When she was finished she held it up to me and said, "Ta-Da!" It was adorable. I loved how she punctuated her hard work with that wonderful exclamation. It drew attention to the work she'd done, and allowed me to acknowledge her performance. It made me wonder why we all don't do that more often. There are many days when I would love to yell out to someone, "Hey, watch me!" as I do regular mundane tasks throughout the day.

So, I've come to a conclusion. I'm going to take a page from Abby's book. I'm going to start "Ta-Da"-ing my way through the day. When I finish a sink full of dishes - Ta-Da! When I make a meal - Ta-Da! When I write a lesson plan - Ta-Da! I think we all should do that, what a fun way to get some much needed encouragement. Isn't Abby smart?

Pocoyo, Ellie, and Pato needed a bit of lovin' today.

Feeling sorry for her, since she is still battling a sour tummy,
I caved when she asked to paint. She did a great job of containing
the mess - to herself. 

By the end she was rather colorful - too bad you can't really
see the red paint that got in her hair. 

There you have it - tonight's post.

TA-DA!